'TONYA & NANCY' Concert at King King Club to Benefit Celebration Theatre, 2/4

A one-night-only concert performance of Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera has been set for Tuesday, February 4 at 8pm at Hollywood's legendary King King Club. The concert will take place just a few days before the start of the 2014 Olympics, which is also the 20th anniversary of the lead pipe assault heard 'round the world and their subsequent skate-off at the 1994 Winter Olympics. The librettist is Elizabeth Searle and music by Michael Teoli, the concert version of Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera will be choreographed and directed by NAACP and Ovation Award-winner Janet Roston. Proceeds from the evening will go to support Celebration Theatre.

Based on the infamous knee-attack scandal, Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera tells the story of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, two girls going for the gold and two lifelong dreams colliding on the Olympic Ice. This high energy and darkly comic show takes the audience on a wild, hilarious, and insightful ride. The true over-the-top tale contains operatic themes with twists so outrageous they seem invented; the struggle of the seemingly good girl and bad girl, one from the trailer park and one from a loving home, who meet each other head on; the bad boy who sells out his girl; and the three clowns who bungle a crime. The piece explores our celebrity-crazed-society, the public's hunger for salacious scandal, and the media's drive for tabloid fodder.

The February 4 concert staging of Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera will include a full rock band, vocals, and visuals to tell the stranger than fiction story of the two Olympic skaters. The ensemble is (in alphabetical order) Michael Ballestero, Jordan Kai Burnett, Sarah Chaney, Joe Donohoe, Michael Shaw Fisher, Maegan McConnell, Jesse Merlin, Suzanne Petrela, Michael Shepperd, Jeff Sumner, and Laura L. Thomas. Executive producer for the concert is Paul T. Boghosian, producer is Ryan Bergmann, and associate producer is Rebecca Eisenberg.

Founded in 1982 and now in its 31st season, Celebration Theatre is a community of artists dedicated to presenting innovative, provocative and relevant work that examines the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer experience. It provides a supportive forum for professional and emerging writers, directors, designers and performers, giving voice to the full experience of gay culture. The theatre endeavors to challenge society's perception of the community and give a vibrant voice to its evolving identity.

Tickets for Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera on February 4 at 8pm are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the show. Doors open at 7pm for bar service. A live DJ will be spinning before and after the performance. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.celebrationtheatre.com or by phone at (323) 960-9234.

The King King Club is located at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, 90028.

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